I'm not even fully fit, warns Chelsea's Euro star Drogba

The Ivorian's dressing-room friends insist he is one of the best frontmen in the world and he provides the attacking threat which makes Avram Grant's side so formidable.

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Drogba scored twice in last night's 4-0 demolition of Rosenborg, despite not being 100 per cent fit, to help guide Chelsea through to the last 16 of the Champions League as group winners.

No-one at the club is hiding from the fact that losing him to his country for the African Nations Cup in the New Year will be a big blow, but there are signs that the team's new attacking style may be useful mitigation.

In the meantime, the striker could give them the best possible chance of coping by proving he can get even better when fit. Drogba, who missed last Saturday's win at Derby with a knee complaint, said: "I am not at my best yet physically but I will always give everything for the team.

"Sometimes you can be in good shape and not score and then feel bad and get goals. Football is about being there at the right moment even if you are not 100 per cent."

The January transfer window is likely to offer the most effective way of covering for Drogba's looming absence, although Salomon Kalou, Claudio Pizarro and Andriy Shevchenko are hungry to prove they can fill in.

But the change of approach brought in by Grant will help. Quick, incisive attacking is at the heart of it and Chelsea looked like they could score every time they went forward at Rosenborg. The Norwegians' defence was not the best and Drogba scored with an angled volley after seven minutes.

He added a second in the 20th minute, when he curled the ball in after Michael Essien's shot was saved.

Alex got the third goal five minutes before the half-time break when a low, long-distance free-kick somehow beat the wall and goalkeeper, while Joe Cole scored number four after another parried Essien shot in the 73rd minute.

Drogba may have bemoaned the departure of Jose Mourinho the loudest after Grant took charge in September, but even he can see the improvements that are being made.

The striker said: "Everybody saw our performance. I am not talking about the result, but the way we played and people can talk about that.

"The attacking play was full of variety and we passed the ball at the right times. It would be hard to play better but there is always something you can improve. Maybe we could have scored more goals. Now we need to keep winning in the league."

Drogba admitted that the demons from Mourinho's departure and the 1-1 draw with Rosenborg in September which triggered the Portuguese's exit have finally been exorcised.

He said: "This team is full of big players and have the character to recover after a difficult time. We were a bit down and the confidence was not top, but we know what we can do and we are playing better now than a few weeks ago. We have worked hard and the confidence is back. The best answer is always on the pitch."

Chelsea can now rest key players in their final Champions League group game against Valencia, on 11 December, and prepare for the crucial match at Arsenal at the end of that week.

Grant's side have kept in touch with the Premier League leaders and could have Petr Cech and Paulo Ferreira back from injury against West Ham on Saturday.

But the head coach has said Europe is Chelsea's main target, and John Terry believes their big away win at Rosenborg will serve as a warning to whoever they meet in the last 16 opponents.

He said: "I would like to think scoring that many goals away in Europe sends out a statement and it gives us a chance in the next game to rest one or two of the boys because it is a busy period over Christmas.

"Once you get through the group stage when there can be one or two easy teams, it becomes difficult. But we are playing well and everything is starting to flow for us.

"We are playing quick football and the Rosenborg performance was one of the better examples of what Avram wants. The two widemen were great and Didier was magnificent.

"When he plays like that, he is virtually unplayable. If we can keep him fit and some of the others, we have a very good chance.

"Kalou, Shevchenko and Pizarro came on at Rosenborg and are hungry and want to impress the manager by scoring goals. It is good to see and a great sign for us.

"We will miss Didier. He is a fantastic player, one of the best in the world. He scores, brings people into play and is very difficult to mark. Any team would miss him.

"But when the likes of Pizarro come on and Sheva, they give us different options."